'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' w/ McKenna Peterson & Jed Yeiser (Blister Book Club)

We're talking again with Blister reviewer, Paul Forward, the Alaskan heli guide who we spoke with a couple of podcasts back (Ep. 34). This has shaped up to be a very good winter in the Chugach, so Paul has been getting a lot of time in on some fat skis, and I wanted to talk to him about a number of them.TOPICS & TIMES:DPS Lotus 124 Alchemist (3:30)16/17 Blizzard Spur (10:48)New HEAD Kore 117 (22:23)On the trend of pow skis getting narrower (24:44)Liberty Genome (27:55)Salomon QST 118 (29:33)4FRNT Renegade, w/ comparisons to the 4FRNT Raven (35:48) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Apr 201746min

Magnus Granér is different. Funky. We talk to him about his Real Ski win, SLVSH, The Bunch, growing up in Sweden, attending the real Hogwarts School, skiing on Mars, and more...TOPICS & TIMES:Magnus in Zermatt (1:45)Andorra & SLVSH CUP (3:45)Growing up in Hörnefors, Sweden — and growing up snowboarding (13:10)Playing soccer, "floorball", and husky racing (16:05)Thinking / Not Thinking (19:22)How you got from just starting to ski to where you are right now? (22:31)True Story: Magnus attends the weirdest / coolest school ever (24:45)The Formation of The Bunch (31:15)Creation Nation (33:58)X Games Real Ski — from getting invited to winning the Gold (37:55)Battling fear & scaring yourself vs. making urban more fun & accessible (44:30)Magnus on Henrik Harlaut (48:37)Re: the peanut butter 450 on (54:35)On the closing shot of Magnus’ real ski edit (56:45)LJ Strenio’s crash reel (59:27)The Bunch: How would you describe it? (01:03:00)Dancing (01:07:35)India, Russia, China: the state of skiing internationally (01:10:23)Your pro model / working with ON3P Skis (01:15:00)What’s next? (01:18:35) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Mars 20171h 22min

What is the least understood but arguably most important piece of ski equipment? Ski boot liners. So we talk to ski boot pioneer, Sven Coomer, about why boot liners don’t receive the attention they deserve, what makes Zipfit liners different, and why Sven believes that liners are the single most important piece of ski equipment.TOPICS & TIMES:Why "Liners" should be called "Inner Boots," and what a good inner boot should do (0:00)Why Sven thinks that liners are the most important piece of equipment (5:00)What is someone failing to understand if they are failing to consider the inner boot? (13:00)Why liners and boots are more complex than skis; Why Zipfit liners don’t pack out (22:50)What is it about the construction of a Zipfit liner that's different? (24:45)What are the top issues / problems that a Zipfit liner might solve? (29:00)Alpine-Touring boots & liners — and the touring inner boot that Sven is working on (39:20)Final thoughts on the difference that the right liner can make (49:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Mars 201758min

Paul Forward is a lead heli guide for Chugach Powder Guides in Girdwood, Alaska. He is also a physician who works a lot in the arctic village of Kotzebue, just north of the Arctic Circle. And in addition to that, Paul is one of our senior reviewers here at Blister — as well as being a bow hunter, a fly fisherman, an absolute gear whore, a lover of big missions, a good friend of mine, and (as a lot of people around the world will attest) a really fun person to venture out into the mountains with.In this conversation, we talk about Paul’s background; how he and I met and how he got involved with Blister; the life and logistics of a heli guide; and the new program on advanced wilderness medical care that Paul is starting this spring. And of course, Paul and I talk a bit about some of the new gear that he and I are currently reviewing, including the 4FRNT Devastator, Salomon QST 106, and Volkl 100Eight.TOPICS & TIMES:How Paul and I met, and how he almost killed me (3:20)How he became a Blister reviewer (5:20)Paul’s background (11:40)How he became a heli guide (18:25)How it works to be both a physician and a heli guide (22:38)What does a typical day in the life of a heli guide actually look like? (29:45)What are the most common mistakes that first-timers make? (35:09)What it's like guiding pro skiers / filming AK lines for movies (42:35)Paul’s new “venture,” offering advanced wilderness life support courses (52:05)Ski boots; 194 4FRNT Devastator vs. 184 Devastator; Salomon QST 106 vs. Volkl 100Eight (57:55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Mars 20171h 14min

This is a round-table conversation with three custom ski manufacturers about the process of building custom skis, and what “custom” really means. We sat down with Pete Wagner of Wagner Custom Skis, Mark Wallace of Parlor Custom Skis, and Mike McCabe of Folsom Custom Skis, and among other things, we discussed why they each decided to go the custom route; how they each go about the custom process; and what sort of skier might want to consider custom skis.We also talk about Frankenstein skis, why innovations in materials can be overrated, and the really remarkable fact that Wagner, Parlor, and Folsom all offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.TOPICS & TIMES:Introduction to Wagner Custom Skis (2:25)Introduction to Parlor Custom Skis (3:59)Introduction to Folsom Custom Skis (5:21)What does “Custom” mean, and why go custom? (7:35)How the Folsom process works (8:50)How the Parlor process works (11:20)How the Wagner process works (13:49)Why custom skis aren’t only for great skiers (16:20)How sophisticated is the input you get from prospective customers? (17:37)100% Satisfaction Guarantee (What??) (24:54)What if a customer has a really bad idea? Will you still build it? (26:05)Parlor Ballet Skis ?!?! (31:25)Folsom Trn Tek 201 Pros !! (32:00)Remaking skis that have been discontinued (aka, “Frankenstein” skis). (34:45)How much differentiation/customization is there when it comes to materials? (38:09)Why innovations in materials can be overrated (41:20)The Advantage of Agility (46:32)Designing for individual skiers, not the “average” skier (47:25)What’s the best question I haven’t asked? (49:57) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Feb 201756min

In this episode, we discuss the most intriguing, the most head scratching, and the most bizarre new products for next season that we saw at the SIA tradeshow. Some of the New Products We Discuss:Scarpa Maestrale; Armada ARV 116; Scott S1 130 AT Boot; Atomic Hawx XTD 130 AT Boot; G3 Sender 112 Touring / 50-50 Ski; Patagonia Descensionist Touring Kit; Patagonia Descensionist Pack; Advances in airbag packs; Polartec Neoshell 2.0; Polartec; Alpha Direct; Metal in Skis; Scott Skis: the new lineup, including the Scrapper 115 and Punisher 105; Nordica’s expanding Enforcer line; Nordica’s women’s skis; Sego Skis — and Blades (!); Fischer Ranger 115; Nordica Enforcer Pro; Fischer RC4 130; K2’s new carvers; Black Crows lineup & their new Vertis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Feb 201740min

Warner and I discuss his background; the business of ski racing and ski academies; the thorny issue of sponsorships and athletes skiing on equipment that isn’t a good match for them; and Kitzbuhel.TOPICS & TIMES:Warner’s review of the movie, “Scully” (0:00)Warner’s First Beer League Race (which happened last week); Warner's Early Years + the first race he ever won (9:36)The problem of the “big business” of ski racing academies (20:24)Warner’s college experience (Colby), and his advice for skiers when choosing colleges (23:15)One of Warner’s biggest regrets in life (35:18)Warner’s time on the US Ski Team (36:20); Getting Cut — But Not Quitting; Team Dreamin’ the Life - enter Jon Olsson (43:15)How often are elite racers on equipment they don’t like? Aka, The issue of sponsored skiers being on the wrong equipment (47:25)What’s your best Jon Olsson story? (58:38)The Crown Jewel of Racing: Kitzbuhel / The Streif (01:02:33)Race Approach: going flat out vs. slightly dialing things back to be able to correct (01:06:17) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Jan 20171h 10min

If you spend time outside skiing, biking, camping, hiking, climbing, boating, or running in the mountains, how prepared are you to handle injuries when you are far from medical help? Will you just stand there panicked and helpless? Or will you do things that make the injuries worse?This topic does not get talked about enough. So today, we’re talking with three experienced first responders to help you understand why — for your own personal safety, and for the safety of your friends and family — getting training in wilderness medicine is something you ought to do. There’s a lot of good information in this conversation, so please listen, and let’s all of us commit to increasing our level of knowledge and readiness for our adventures.TOPICS & TIMES:• Quick Christmas Party Story (4:28)• Backgrounds: Mike Thurber, Morgan Matthews, and Justin Bobb (7:05)• What is "Wilderness Medicine"? (13:30)• Huge Factor: wilderness injuries involve *long* evacuation times (16:40)• Three Real-World Emergency Anecdotes (19:40)• Most important things you learn in a Wilderness First Responder course? (32:30)• Difference between a WFR certification and an EMT certification (38:26)• Emergency Scenarios #4 & 5: Driving, come up on a crash on the highway (40:29)• Hypothermia, Avalanches, and Trauma — some important stats (44:35)• Beacons, First Aid Kits, etc. Do you have them? Do you *know how to use them*? (53:55)• What are the different WFR certifying agencies, and what are the different certifications a person can get? (58:49)• How to tell if your friends, boyfriend, or girlfriend really love you (01:15:58)• How helpful is WFR training if you are out by yourself? (01:17:28)• FINAL POINT: Why do AVI 1 courses get so much attention, while wilderness medical courses get so little? (01:20:00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Dec 20161h 23min